The Golden Fairy and The Steel Beast
by DuyTran007
Summary: Jim is stranded in the Kingdom of Saubure, far away from his people. He met a mysterious girl whose name is Victorique and together, she helps him to return to his fleet. Later, when Jim schedule a time to meet her again, a tragic event took place.
1. Chapter 1

**Forewords:** I have decided that my other story( Gosick X Fairy Tail X Fantasies) was too unrealistic and unbelievable. I am going to start all over first with my fanfiction of Gosick. This story will eventually led to the crossover of Gosick and Fairy Tail. Same characters as before.

**Jim Clarke:** He will be replacing Kujo Kazuya in this fanfiction. Jim is an average-built man who is suitable for the military. He's currently fighting for the Intergalactic Army, or IGA. Their sworn enemy, Brutes, are fighting to conquer the Milky Way.

**Chapter 1:** The Golden Fairy Meets the Steel Beast

Woke up by the sound of the alarm, Jim quickly gets dress and put on his armor. It was loud, and repeat in an annoying pattern, which could only means that the battleship IGS-4N5 is under attack. He grabbed his helmet and head out the room. There were people running in the hallway, getting to where they are supposed to be, just like they practiced in the drills. Jim knows that he's going to pilot a warship, so he head for the hangar. He started running down the hallway, trying to avoid hitting people on the way. The ship is somewhat huge, enough to fit 4,500 men and can operate for a couple of decades before having to maintenance again. As Jim reaches the huge door, which meant that he had arrived at the hangar, he runs inside and head for the hangar officer..

"Jim, you're late. We're getting pounded by the enemy's artilleries and where were you!?"

"Sorry, sir. I was having a good dream."

"Have another dream like that and you're dead in your sleep. Now go get into number 49, an AT-45."

"Yes, sir!"

Jim quickly ran for his fighter. The AT-45 is an agile ship. It cans stabilize faster than most advanced warships since there is no friction in space. Ailerons and rudders are useless, so the scientists came up with the idea of using rockets to turn. Even though it is equipped with 3 45mm automatic HGK cannons, the AT-45 is not very popular dues to its armaments. The "Brute" have ships with armor usually more than 200mm, shaming the HGK that can only penetrates 150mm. The weakness of the Brute's ships were their sides. They don't expect any ships to hit their side while dogfighting, and it also increases their mobility. This was an advantage for the AT-45 because they are cheap to make, and they can outnumber the Brute's ships. Jim gets on his ship. He close the cockpit, getting ready to be deployed.

"Thrusters, online. Maneuvering systems, online. Flares, ready. Guns, working." He goes over the manuals, which what every pilots are required to do before take off.

The lever underneath his ship starts pulling the ship. Every warships are to be take off at 200 mph the moment the lever release them. This would give them a chance to fight when there are only enemy ships nearby. Once outside, his objective is pretty much destroy as much enemy ships before they kill him. Notice an AT being chased, Jim decides to come to the rescue. The pilot sees him trying to help, so he tried going horizontal, giving Jim a chance to shoot the Brutes on their side. Too focused on their target, the alien pilot did not know they were being led to a trap. The first pass, Jim fired a short burst of about 1 second, only the last few bullets hit, causing engine problems to the Brute's ship. Their engines are prone to fire so incendiary shells are the second most made ammunition, beside the armor-piercing. A few moment later, the Brute's ship explode as the fire reached its fuel tank. Only two more to go to free the pilot. The other Brutes never seem to notice their wingman going missing. Getting another opportunity, Jim lined up his shot again and let out a longer burst fire. The shots connected and exploded the Brute ship. Noticed he's being chased by another Brute, Jim had to dodge, leaving the pilot to tends for himself. The chaser is apparently on an older model, so he believed that he can outrun him. Just when he started to turn on Overdrive for his thrusters, an electric shot hit his engine, causing it to malfunction. The thrusters speed up the ship, giving more power than it was supposed to. The ship gains too much speed before Jim can eject out of the ship safely. The G-force drove him unconscious.

"Jim! Jim! do you read m…" A strange voice is calling out to him, but he is too weak to response.

Jim had to use the very last of his strength to recover. When he noticed his oxygen level that is at 10%, he decided to accept his fate until a moment later, he notices that he is next to a blue planet. He reached down to his control stick, trying to move the ship into a perfect stage for a crash landing..

"Damn, I'm going too fast. I hope the stabilizer is still working." He hits the brake, trying to slow down as much as he could, but it was useless since the electro shot fried the flight system. The only way left is to use the airbrake and extent the flaps once he enters the planet. At this speed, Jim calculated that he'll be going as least 10,000 mph when he reaches the atmosphere. "Oh god, please let there be air, so I can slowed down as least 1,000 miles per hour." It won't make a different, but it's enough to eject out of the ship with nonfatal damage sustained.

As his ship starts entering the atmosphere, the heat starts building up inside. The airbrake proved effective, slowing him down more than what he expected, but it is still too fast. The altitude indicator showed that he has 46 seconds before impact. This AT-45 was not designed for fighting in planets with air friction, so there is no other way to maneuver the plane. He'll have to crash land but not straight down like a meteor. Jim will have to manipulate the flaps created for such cases like this to move the ship. He turns the top flap down slowly, making the ship to point upward and re-extend them to keep it going straight. After a few minor adjustment, the only thing left to do is to wait for this ship to crash land.

He pulled the lever on the bottom of his seat. The heavy glass shield ejects and less than a second later is the seat. Still going too fast, Jim will have to land on the ground and try his best to stop the momentum.

"Wow, what is this place? That's a huge mansion with a huge garden right there. And I'm going to hit their frontgate! Oh no!"

Jim used his feet to hit the gate and to prevent damage to his vital organs. Only the top decoration of the gate was destroyed due to the speed of which he is going. Jim hits the ground after the collision, and rolled as long as his momentum lets him. He goes unconscious again.

He wakes up in a room. Surrounded by white curtains, Jim thought to himself that he must be in a hospital. "How long was I out? Where am I? I wonder what happen to the ship." With so many questions left unanswered, he decided to go for the cup of water on the stand next to him.

"Ah, fresh, cold water. Now, I just need to find whoever put me in here and thanks them. It'll be a while for the IGA to find and rescue me." The sound of a door opening reaches him.

Jim opens the curtains only to find a young lady in a white dress with a cap that has a red cross.

"You must be the nurse! I hereby am grateful to you."

"[Sorry, I don't understand what are you saying]."

"What? Wait, that's French. I do kind of speak French. But I was never good at it. Let's see, uh…[Good morning! My name is Jim!]" He smiled.

"[You can speak French? Great, my name is Marie.]"

"Ah, uhh…[Do you know where I am?]"

"[Yes, you're in the nurse office of Saint _ Academy.]"

"[Saint Mar-gruel-rite Academy?]" Jim repeats, for he does not know the word.

"[Its a school. Now, why don't you rest for a while and I'll get someone to talk to you.]"

The nurse walks out. Left alone, Jim did not wants to get too much attention from the world, wondering where did he came from. Of all the species that could have inhabited this planet, it's the humans. It seems that their technologies are not very advance, since there is no heartbeat monitor right by his bed. The house is built by bricks and wood rather than the steel walls they used in IGA's planets. Jim did not wants to talk to anybody else, so he had to escapes before someone gets here. They'll probably do research on him, and he did not want that. Jim escaped through the window and out onto the garden of the school.

"This is rather a university than a school. The campus is huge! What's that tower? I should head there and hide for the day. Now the problem is finding food." His stomach growls.

Jim made a run for the tower and went inside, avoiding from the people. It is huge and spacious, just like what the outside implies. Filled with books, Jim assumes that this is a library and heads to the top to where the lights are. The stairs are long, but it is the only one way to the top. Panting as he reaches the top floor, Jim noticed the surreal surrounding around him. It was full of exotic plants, and colorful flowers he had never seen before. The painting on the top of the tower, showing a man and a woman about to be separated by rather a demon of some sort. There was also a blond doll-like girl sitting in front of him. Jim doubts her height would match him, and her pretty blue eyes caught his gaze for a moment. Finally, she speaks.

"[So you finally made it. You're late, _ that comes in the spring.]"

"[Me? Are you talking about me? And what does Fau-chez even means?]"

"[The future that rose from the silver jar was reflected in the magic mirror.]" The girl stands up holding a handheld mirror, reflecting her face.

"[According to the _, it seems you'll visit here again. Tomorrow, when you hear the noon bell ring…]"

"[Wait, wait, spare me for my knowledge of French, talk to me like I'm a five years-old kid please. And I don't know what you're talking about. I think you've got the wrong person.]" Jim cuts her off, informing her and avoiding confusion.

"[You were chosen as a single _ with which to fill up my _.]"

"[Your what!?] Ugh, I don't understand her at all. [I should go.]" Jim turns around and start walking down the long stairs.

"I'll be waiting for you tomorrow." The girl speaks in English.

Surprised, Jim turns around just to finds her moving toward the elevator that he did not noticed before. A moment later, the elevator starts its descent down to the bottom floor, preferably for the girl to leave. Jim continues to walk down the stair until he reaches the bottom. Wait, didn't I said that I was going to stay here? Do I have to get up all the way again? Jim came to a realization as he walked down half way. Decide not to waste anymore strength to walk up, Jim made a stop to rest at the closest floor near him. Jim grabbed a book and starts reading to pass the time.

"Here I am in a new unknown planet. I wonder what time is it. I don't seems to recall any place like this back on Earth. I'm getting hungry."

Jim starts reading the book. Inside the book full of horror stories as he reads on, Jim found some interesting stories such as the mysterious Queen Berry ship, Leviathan, a man who could produces gold from intestines of dead men, and a brilliant gray wolf who can speak human languages. Jim, however, does not believe any of these stories. Tired, he went to sleep.

He wakes up. According to the sunlight, Jim assumes it must be around 10 or 11 am. Hungrier than yesterday, Jim must find food to stay alive. He exits the building, looking for people to ask for food when he meets a woman.

"[Hello there, I don't think I've seen you around.]"

"Uhh…[I'm new here. A student]"

"[Then get to class! You're late already. You still haven't put on your student uniform yet!]"

"[Sorry, I got up late. Do you know where I can get breakfast? I'm hungry.]"

"[I see. Follow me then.]

Jim follows the kind woman into a building. Jim assumes it is a cafeteria. He went it and sat down at a table far to the corner. The woman brought him some soups and water. Jim gladly thanks the woman and engulf the food, for he has been hungry. Finished, Jim told the woman he'll head to class now. Once outside, he wonders what to do until noon to meets and talks to the girl to pass the time.

"Maybe I could steal some clothes if I can find the dorms. I don't think there are many houses around here for the students to go back to. I kind of miss school though. So if I can get in a class, I should be fine for the day."

Jim enters building by building, trying to find the dorm until he approaches a building with windows smaller than many others. Now he'll have to decide whether it was a girl or boy dorm. Luckily, there is a banner on top of the door saying "Fille," which means "Girl," then the other should be for boy. Jim stealthily enters the dorm and get into the first room he sees with a number "2." He picks locked the door with his knife, walked in, and search the closet for the right fit. It was still during school time, so Jim doesn't worry about anyone being in the room. Luckily, he found the right match. Jim took the uniform and leave for the tower where he met the mysterious girl. Jim goes to the botanical garden, and undressed his armor suit. He hid them at a corner carefully to avoid anyone touching or confiscating the suit. Jim puts on the uniform and walked to one of the classroom. he chooses a random classroom and walks in. Caught the attention of the teacher and the students, he quickly introduces himself.

"[Good morning, I'm the new student.]"

"[Oh really? I have not gotten any files about you being the new student.]"

"[Oh, there must be a mistake in the files and somehow they forgot to give it to you..]"

"[I'll take a look at your's later. Why don't you have a seat over there?]" Inside him, Jim is thankful to his luck that the teacher doesn't ask anymore question.

He quickly came to a realization, he forgot the books and pens. The teacher seems to notice too, but she asked for the girl sitting next to Jim to lend him her book and a pen. The class went on as normal. He noticed the date on the board, January 1924. That explains his confusions and updated his watch. Jim would usually gets a glance from one or another student for his muscular body. The feeling of pride rushed over him, causing his arm to flex sometimes. He goes on studying about Algebra 2-like mathematics, French, and best of all for him, English. The bell ringed, signaling that class is over, Jim heads out the door back into the tower full of books for his little appointment with the mysterious girl at noon. He walks back up to the botanical garden again, complaining the length of the stairs. He saw the girl rolling back and forth and finally stands up, dusting her black dress.

"So you can speak English, you should have told me before you know."

"I know.." The girl smile.

"Anyway, what's your…."

The sound of an elevator approaching interrupted his sentence. Jim turns toward the elevator and notices a man in white suit, with an incredible drill-like blond hair, for he had never seen anyone like this before. The man exits the elevator and got close to Jim.

"Grevil." The girl said.

"[Ahh, what beautiful weather we're having today! And we also have a boy who looks like a black-furred baby-squirrel.]" Said Grevil casually.

"[Who are you calling squirrel?!]" Jim gets aggressive if anyone ever makes any comments about his appearance.

"[An angry baby-squirrel it seems! Anyway, I have a poem for you. Last night, at a mansion is a certain village, and old _ by the name of Roxane, was murdered.]"

"[How am I related to this?]"

"[The _ lived in her mansion with an Indian manservant and an Arabian maid. Her granddaughter came for a visit that very same night. She enjoys having _ servant who can speak Hindi and Arabic at conversational-level. Only the maid can speak Arabic it seems.]"

"[Go on.]" Jim hurries Grevil to gets to his point.

"[Before the murder, the manservant was below her window, returning the loose hares to their breeding pen.]"

"[Hares?]" Victorique asks.

"[The _ raised many hares. Apparently, she would let hunting dogs gnaw them to death from time to time. That night, gunfire rang out, startling everyone, who subsequently gathered in the hallway outside her room. Her door was locked. The maid called out something, but there was no answer. The manservant wanted to break open the door, but the granddaughter refused. 'If my grandmother is dead, this mansion becomes mine, so don't destroy anything,' was the _ reason she gave. However, the maid didn't understand a word she said, so she grabbed a pistol from the adjacent room and on the other side of the room was the _, shot on her left eye. The bedroom was locked and no weapon was to be found.]"

"[Who do you think it is?]" Jim asks.

"[The murderer is, the manservant!]"

"[How did he killed her then? Were there any bullet hole in the room? The maid shot her gun too so there should be two holes. Plus, if the bedroom is locked, then the servant must have shot her from the window.]" Jim corrects Grevil and got a stern look from him.

"[Jim is indeed right, the murder is the maid.]" Victorique adds on.

"[Huh? Tell me angry-squirrel!]"

"[The _ was the only one who could understand Arabic. The maid knock on the door and yelled in Arabic. With the pistol she grabbed from the other room, the maid told her something like, 'please come by the door where it is safe.' And the _ peeks through the keyhole and was shot from the pistol.]"

"[Then where was the first shot, angry squirrel!?]"

"[Stop calling me squirrel! My name is Jim Clarke. Call me squirrel again and I'll…]"

"[The first shot was a distraction to frighten the _. If you investigate the next room, you'll find a bullet hole somewhere in there.]"

With that, the inspector Grevil leaves the garden, exiting through the elevator.

"[What was the motive of the criminal? She's no doubt hiding what she had shot before.]"

The elevator starts its descent, but Grevil clearly wanted to know more. It was too late for him.

"You're a pretty good detective. I don't see girls like you a lot, you know." Jim gave Victorique a nudge in the arm.

"Don't touch me!"

"Okay! Sorry, anyways, what's your name? I'm Jim Clarke."

"Victorique de Blois."

"That's a nice name. Was that someone you know?"

"He's my brother. From a different mother."

"Oh, well, I'm bored too. You got any games?"

"Games?"

"Like Risk, or any board games you prefer, chess?"

"I'll play chess, but it's not here. According to my wellspring of wisdom, you would lose to me either way."

"No way, I'll have you know I won the championship chess game."

"Was it international?"

"No…" Jim frowns.

Victorique heads for the elevator, leaving the tower.

"Wait, don't leave me alone." Jim reaches out his hand."I don't want to be bored. I still have questions about this place."

Victorique sighed and finally sat next to him, ready to answer his confusion.

"Who are you really, Victorique?"

"I'm what they called a gray wolf. A species that is very brilliant and can speak human languages."

"I'll have to do some more researches on that. How did you know about me? You act like you've seen me before."

"I know about you. My wellspring of wisdom had informed me of your arrival long ago."

"Wellspring of wisdom. That sounds like something coming from a novel. Anyway, where am I? Can you show me a map of this world."

"You're in the kingdom of Sauville. It is located below Switzerland, and in between France and Italy."

"I see, so this planet is like Earth. My home planet. There's not much to see there, though. Unless you're interested in a dead planet. Well, I won't hold you any longer, you can leave now."

"Until we meet again."

"Yea, see ya."

With that, Victorique goes for the elevator to go back to her dorm. Jim finds Victorique rather mysterious. He doesn't know anything about her, yet she seems to know about him a lot. She doesn't reacts in a way a normal person would reacts to an extraterrestrial life. Jim lets out a sigh, for he has to wait to know more about the fate of his ship before he could do anything else. He hoped to himself that the IGA would locate him sooner or later before the government gets to him if Victorique informs them. He looked at his watch and saw that he have five hours before his ideal time to sleep, which is 10 pm. He decided to go for a walk, exploring the nook and cranny of this academy. Jim saw a small, pink house during his walk. Only the roof was completely visible, the rest was covered by walls of bushes but is still barely visible. Jim ignored the house and continued on until dark.

End

**End of chapter 1. Chapter 2 will be uploaded next week on 11/29/14. There will be no uploads after 11/29/14 and during December because I have to study for my Finals.**


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the late upload but Chapter 2 is out now. There will not be anymore upload until the first saturday of January due to schooling. I'll try to make it two chapters if possible.

**Chapter 2: **Crash Landed

The next day, while enjoying his breakfast, Jim notices a heading on the newspaper the lunch lady is reading has something seems familiar to him. He walks to her and asked to read the paper. Upon closer inspection of the article, Jim notices it's about his ship, which had crashed into a mountain and is being taken by the police.

"Oh no. The ship better have the communicator working." Jim whispers.

"[What?]"

"[Nothing, thanks for the newspaper. I've got to go now.]"

How would Jim gets there? He doesn't know how, and Victorique is his only 'friend' that can helps him. But she's not at the tower until noon. Jim asked the lunch lady, but she doesn't seems to know where Victorique is. Although Jim might have a clue on where Victorique lives, for he had seen a pink little house hidden in the mazes while he was exploring the campus. He puts away his plates and goes to the maze. The maze wasn't very difficult according to Jim. It was small, and the bush walls are thin, looking through them was possible. Jim knocked on the door impatiently, for he wanted to investigate his ship as fast as possible. The door opened and appeared Victorique, unhappy because her sleep was interrupted.

"Victorique! I need your help, quickly!"

"Is it about your ship? I didn't expect you to knock on my door this early. *Yawn*" She covers her mouth. "Well, it's your precious little ship after all."

"I don't know how you know, but it doesn't matter. I just need you to take me there. The news said it's somewhere in Horovitz."

Victorique stays quiet for a moment, as if the name of the place reminds her of her past. Then she told him:

"I'll shows you the way there. But, I cannot leave the campus."

"And why? I'll sneaks you out, I mean missing from school for a day is not gonna be that troublesome right? This ship is very important to me. It's the only way that I can leave this planet and be back to where I belongs."

"I can't. But I will be able to. Remember our little conversation with Grevil?"

"Oh right, we can ask him for a favor right? You did helped him out after all. Do you know where he is?"

"I assume he's at the police station, where a detective should belong to." A sense of sarcasm was in her voice.

"Yea, I know, but where?"

"That I do not know. I haven't been outside this prison for some times."

A realization struck Jim. This girl was in this school and rarely got outside, and life must ever be so boring for her. But he has matters to attend to, so his other help is the lunch lady.

"I'll ask someone else then, or wait. Couldn't I just…"

Jim pauses, taking his time to process his thoughts thoroughly. Victorique has rarely been outside, this might be her only time in a million year to explore the world. Jim decided to do her a favor. His ship is important but it is not as necessary as this.

"Alright, I'll just ask the lunch lady." He leaves the house.

Jim ran as fast as he could to the cafeteria, looking and asking the lunch lady for directions to the police station. She was worry about what was wrong, but Jim lied saying he was going to meet a friend. He heads out the gate, seeing that it was fixed since the accident. He opened the gate and looked around, to avoid security as if there's any. Jim went straight to the city, with a paper slip of the direction to the station. The streets and houses were made of stones, instead of asphalts and woods. Jim approached and entered the station. He asked a police officer for Grevil, and the officer told him that Grevil was upstair. Following his answer, Jim found the man in a white suit with the drill-like hair.

"[Grevil, I need to talk to you about Victorique.]"

"[Ahh, aggressive baby-squirrel! What is it that you need to talk to me about.]"

"[Victorique! She needs to leave the school, and you're the one to talk to. This is urgent, so I don't have the time to play around.]"

"[Alright baby-squirrel, follow me to my office.]"

Jim followed him. His officer has several bookshelves around the room, a table in the middle, and some chairs to accompany it. Jim goes straight into business.

"[Give me something, a paper to allow Victorique to leave or something.]"

"[And why would I do that?]"

"[Because she did you a favor in solving the case! In fact, she…]" Grevil covers Jim mouth to prevent him from going on.

"[Be quiet, they can't know about this!]"

"[Are you telling me you took credits for this case? If you want me to stay quiet, you know what to do.]" Jim rushes him.

"[Fine, I'll do it but keep quiet.]"

"[Thank you. Make it quick, it's an urgent.]"

Grevil handed him a slip of paper. Jim quickly grabs it and ran out the station. He pants as he reaches the gate, where Victorique was already there, dressed in her white, blue, old-style Victorian-themed dress.

"It took you quite longer than I expected."

"As least I got the paper, now who do I hand it to?"

Victorique points to the teacher, whom Jim saw in class and is walking toward them.

"[Heey! I see you've made a friend Victorique!]"

"[Hi, I've seen you in the class.]" Victorique doesn't answer, so Jim steps in.

"[Sorry but we're busy right now, so uhh..here!]" Jim gave her the paper and head off while carrying Victorique in his arms, for he afraid that she can't run very fast in her dress. Victorique protested, but her efforts were in vain. He ran toward the city, to the train station he saw on his way during his walk to the police station. He set Victorique down finally at the train station. After a close inspection of the trains schedule, Jim couldn't find any train that goes to Horovitz.

"Do you know any area that is close to Horovitz that is shown up here?"

" Take the 11:00 train, we'll go to the village of the Gray Wolves."

"Is that where you're from?"

"No, but it was where my mother was."

"Oh, well, is she there? how is she now?"

Considering the timeline of this world, Jim assume that communications were relied on mails.

"She's not there. She was exiled from the village."

"Okay then…"

They waited and waited for the train, saying nothing to each other. Jim had never really think about Victorique until now. Her mother had to leave her at the Academy and is probably working hard to keep her in there. Exiled, what had she done to deserve to be forced to leave? So many questions, no answer to his avail. Jim didn't ask her anymore questions to avoid the past. The train ride was stagnant, except for Victorique. She was looking out the window, far to the mountains in the background. Jim could see that she was fascinated by mother nature, but it didn't surprise him at all. They arrived at the train station at Horovitz. They asked for directions and way of transportation to the village of the Gray Wolves. Jim had planned that after a day stay at the village, he'll starts his search for the ship and recovers any equipment that survived the crash. Jim manages to find a ride to the village through a billboard outside the station. The ride in the horse-driven wagon was rough, unlike the smoothness from the suspension of a car. Jim was annoyed but happy for Victorique. They arrived at noon to the village. There was a wall around the village and only one bridge that connects both worlds. They stood by the edge, waiting for the bridge to lower down for them. Jim also notices a huge hole in the wall to the west of the village that he had not noticed before. They were greeted by the mob who seemed to be armed with swords.

"[Cordelia's daughter.]" One of the person in the mob said.

"[This is an ill omen.]" They all raised their weapons.

"Damn, my armor is in the suitcase." Said Jim while covering Victorique. "[What's the problem?]"

"[Wait.]" An old voice coming from the back of the crowd. "[The gray wolf had read our message and came. There is no need to drive her out. Her arrival is something to celebrate with the summer solstice festival. Even though, her mother Cordelia, is a murderer.]"

"Victorique? [Old man, what are…]" Something behind the mob seemed to catch his attention.

It was still burning in the color of an elegant purple and blue flame. The flame that no water can extinguish it but only the special molecule such as X24H. Another form of radioactive water. Jim immediatly rushed to his suitcase and put on his armor, for it is made by the materials that cannot be find on Earth that can stands against the heat of the flame. The suit is easy to put on. All the pilot has to do is to pull up or down a Titan's made zipper. The zipper is the only thing between the pilot and the outside air. Made with heat-resistant and ballistic metal, Jim rushed through the armed mob to gets to his ship. Their iron swords were no match for his advanced armor. Some deflected, some broke, but none pierced through. His prediction was right, for it was his ship. Jim came closer to inspect the ship.

"Oh thank god, the fuel tank is on fire but not the engine. The cockpit seemed ruined but main interface is still intact."

Jim can sees the missing seat where he had used it to ejects. He opened the cargo port, a feeling of relief reached him, the weapons and the battle suit were still in one piece. He took the suit and the weapons and walked far away from the fire. The battle suit offers a new helmet and add-on armor, providing maximum defense against projectiles smaller than 57mm. His main assault rifle, Reinforced-Steel Titan 60, or RST-60, is still operational after the crash. The magazine's design held the ammunition safe from the weathers and harsh conditions. His sidearms, however, was damaged but not too significantly. It can shoots but not in rapid mode. He turns on the interface of his helmet.

"Computer, online."

The helmet turns on, surprising a few people from the crowd.

"Crafting table, S.O.S transmitter."

Inside his helmet, Jim can sees a clear instruction of how to build a transmitter from a given material. The computer will try to simulate the reliability of the transmitter after being built from the given material a thousand times before giving the instructions. Jim scanned the ship for scraps to be scavenge. Before he does any building, Jim turns around to take a look at Victorique. Jim will soon leave this planet but what will happen to her? Jim had thought about bringing her with him but she'll be at risk of dangers for being close to the front. Either way, taking someone away from a planet is against the intergalactic law.

"I'll build the transmitter tomorrow. It'll take a day or two before they reach me."

"Will you be back?" She whimpers.

"I...I don't know. 10 years or so. I've still got a long way to go before I can retire. But I'll be back."

She hugs him, for Jim was the only person who could saves her from her prison. She didn't want him to leave. She didn't want to be alone. Jim notices, so he tried to cheer her up.

"It's alright, it'll be as least two, three days before I leave. We'll do something fun in the meanwhile, okay?"

"Fine…"

"[Don't worry about the fire. It'll go away soon.]"

"[What did you just put on? Is that a gun?]" A voice from the mob.

"[Yes, I will only use it for self-defense. I am a soldier with honor.]"

Jim took Victorique's hand and leave the village after telling them they'll be back before midnight. Decided to expose her to Astronomy, Jim wanders around the forest until he sees a small hill. They sat there, not exchanging each other a word or anything. Until it got quite dark, Jim begins a conversation.

"I've seen you reading books back at the tower. What were you reading?"

She didn't answer.

"I like to read books too. Ones about adventures and actions are my favorites. A little history here and there would be great too."

"..."

"Well, have you ever heard of astronomy? It's the study of stars and solar system and planets. Stuffs like that. It has always been my favorite subject, since I'm traveling from planets to planets. As you can see here," Jim points to the sky. "Somewhere near that small star there, my people are staging there."

"Where will you be?" Her voice is barely audible.

"Huh? Ah, I'll be there, fighting for humanity." Jim points toward another star. "The brightest one. When I'm gone, you'll always know where I am. We should head back, it's getting late."

They got back to the village and to the tavern.

The next morning, Jim built his transmitter, Victorique was next to him. He turns on the device. It started to beeps as it was supposed to. Sigh, Jim stands up, reaching for his cup of coffee.

"Well, we got all day to spend. How about a little talk? I was born on Earth, 2240. I joined the military when I was 14. Earth was not a good place to stay. Pollutions everywhere. You just couldn't go anywhere without a filter mask on. So I decided to leave."

"But what about your parents?"

"Them? I don't know. I was an orphan. I've never heard or seen any of them. But then one day, a man from the IGA came to recruit us. After I joined, the IGA was where I belong. They were like a family to me. I've only served for 3 years as both a fighter and a pilot. What about you? If you don't mind me asking."

"After my birth, I was help in a prison, a confinement room. With nothing to do but books to read. I lived through the years until I transfer out." She held out her necklace. "This here, is very precious to me. It is the only possession of mine that reminds me of Mama."

"What was her name?"

"Cordelia Gallo. She was a Gray Wolf like me too." She shows Jim a picture of her mother.

"Wow, you two looks very alike. What about your father?"

"He is the father of Grevil. Marquis Albert de Blois. A devious man whom I do not trust. I haven't seen him a lot"

"A devious man. I'll like to meet him sometimes."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of an engine approaching. As it gets louder, Jim recognize the sound is from an armored-carrier. He didn't expect them to pick him up this soon. The ship landed in the middle of the village. It opened the hatch and out came soldiers wearing armors the same as his.

"Jim?" Victorique held on to his suit.

"I didn't know they'll pick me up this soon."

"We got a picture of your ship plunging into the empty space and send a drone. That's how we found you. The fleet searched all the planet until we pick up a signal from your little transmitter. Come on, let's go, the war isn't going to win by itself." The soldier said.

"Alright, give me a moment." He turns to Victorique. "It's okay Victorique. I'll be back. It'll be five years for me but ten years for you due to time."

"Jim, I can't wait. I need you. I need you here." She hugs him tightly.

"I know. I know."

"You need to go now." The soldier rushes.

"Alright." Jim stands up and reaches for his pocket. He took out an object and gave it to Victorique.

"Something to prove to you that I'll be back. Wait for me until then."

Jim walks into the ship and turns around. He waves her goodbye. Jim has never felt so sad before. He had find joys in killing the UL, but now, he had find a motivation to fight for. The hatch closes and the ship departs. It was the last time he saw her. Now he has to fight to stay alive for five years to see her again.

"So what did you do down there, Jim?" His captain talks to him.

"Not much sir. I met a girl, and she helped me."

"Good, don't let the thoughts of her get the better of you."

"Yes sir. I'll fight to the very best."

Half an hour later, the ship docks at the carrier. Where Jim had been living for a while. He reports the situation and told everything to the Humanity Protectorates. The HP wants to prevent exposing too much technology in such a world that is developing. An advance technology would messes up their timeline. Jim then went to his dorm, to get some sleep. Tomorrow, he would fight to live.

End

End of chapter 2. No more uploads until the first Saturday of January due to schooling. Hope you like the story so far.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:** Monstre Charmant

For five years, Jim fought long and hard. He isolated everyone but his close friends, always locked himself in his dorm, and sleeping to pass time. He was always happy whenever people see him, for Jim was excited to go visit Victorique again. When the time has come, his commanders gave him one year free from military service. He stopped smiling. It tooked him six months to be deploy to the front. Now, he has ventured deep into enemy territories, so it would take much longer to go back. Most soldiers who got a one year vacation would rather stay one month away from the front, trying to enjoy their break as much as possible. One month to spend with Victorique is something, Jim thought. He returned to the lounge, where his friends are.

"Ya don't look so good, Jim." John said.

"Yeah, I've only a month to spend with someone."

"Then that someone is lucky. Many people would just go to a nearby city and live there."

"Who's she?" Jack came by and sat next to Jim.

"Victorique, you don't know her."

"Well damn, I know a way to get you there quicker." Jack's words were the enlightenment to Jim.

"How?!" He shook him.

"Calm down. I know a guy. He has the fastest cargo ship around here. Can go like 30% the speed of light or something."

"Impossible, how can I get in?"

"A couple million of Golderoid." His hand signals the money sign.

"That's like, all my saving!"

"The price is right."

"Ugh, fine, just get me on that damn ship."

"In the next thirteen hours, meet him at the hangar. Ship's pretty big, nicknamed 'Lightning,' you can't miss it."

"Thanks, I'll get ready."

Jim heads back to his dorm in excitement. Thirteen hours seem like thirteen years to him, he can't wait any longer. He packs his suitcase and heard a knock at the door. It was John, Jack, Michael, and Maan, his best friends and squad mates.

"Hey, we've got nowhere to go for the break. Mind if we join you?" Maan asks.

"Will I get my privacy?"

"30 percent of the times, you will."

"You damn suckers. Alright, you can go."

They all left. Jim drank his pills to fight back radiation, with a side effect of drowsiness, being a benefit toward him. He dropped himself onto the bed and floated away in his sleep. A loud bang on the door woke him up.

"Wake up, it's time to go Jim!"

"Coming!"

He grabs his bags and heads out. Too excited for the trip, Jim said nothing, busy day dreaming of what he would do with Victorique. Even though they've only known each other for less than a week, Jim felt very attached to her emotionally, with a side of pity. The money they all paid was worth the trip. The cargo ship was under maintenance and turned into a cruise ship. The ship has a pool, a better heating system than any others, and best of all, a king-sized bed for everyone. But all of those luxury didn't matter to Jim. As the months went by, all he did was eat, swim, game, exercise, and sleep. The final day had came when the planet was within viewing distance.

"Only an hour before we deploy. Where are we going?" Michael asks.

"There, Europe." Jim points to Saubure as accurate as he could.

"Is this like another Earth? Oh well, I expected something else. What's the difference there?"

"Saubure. A new country as far as I know. That's all."

"How's the food?"

"They speak French apparently." Jim answered ignoring Michael's question.

Michael decided to leave him alone as Jim stares into the planet. It's morning there, in Saubure. Jim can see the sunlight covering half of the globe. He picks up his drink and prepares to leave for the planet. The ship will return for picks up in three months. It was enough to spend time with her. He got into a drop ship made to resist heat when entering the atmosphere. It has no parachute but only eight engines to slow it down when it reach 500 meters. He puts on his safety strap, to prevent falling in the shuttle. It will be dropped in a mountain, near Saint Marguerite Academy, as Jim told the operator. Finally, the shuttle releases from the cruiser. Came down at a speed of mach 4 thanks to airbrake. The rocket thrusters were to engage at a range of 100 meters, to avoid too much attention. The ship is fitted with as much mirrors as possible, to maximize the chance of a civilian not seeing a ship descending. Jim looked out the window. He was terrified. Outside the window, cities were on fire, and Saint Marguerite was destroyed.

"No. No. No! What happened here?!"

"Calm down, Jim." John shook him, trying to regain his sanity.

"This can't be."

The ship turns on its engines, slowing down its speed sharply. He kicked the hatch and rushed outside, looking for the library tower. It was nowhere to be seen. Remembered her pink little house, Jim made a dash for it. The little maze was on fire, but the fire had not reached her house yet. He stormed inside, yelling 'Victorique' as loud as he can. There was no response. His friends finally got to him.

"Where is she?!" He yells.

"Hey, Jim! Calm down. We need to think this through." Jack tried to reassert him.

"How can I calm down? Where had she gone?"

"Let's go look for the city we saw it on the way down." Maan suggest.

"Let's look for survivors too. You know French right, Jim?" Michael adds on.

"Yea, let's go..."

There were bomb craters on the dirt roads, indicating the obvious that the country is at war. He ran toward the city, to see people in a pink bunny full head-covered masks. They were either fighting, parading, or rioting. Jim forcefully grabbed onto a man and asked him.

"[Do you know who is Victorique de Blois?]"

"[You mean that 'Charming Monster'?]"

"[Where is she?!]"

"[I don't know! Everything's in ruined, man.]"

"[Where is she?!]" Jim pulls out his pistol and pointed at his head.

"[I don't know! I don't know!]"

"Jim, we're not here to kill people." Jack pulls him back.

"[Where is she?]" Jim asks the man once again in disappointment.

"[Marquis de Blois. He was the one started it all. I don't know where she is. But I think she is at the basement of the shopping center because after the parades, it would always get full security.]" The man points at the huge building.

"[Sorry, and thank you. Thank you.] Let's go, guys."

The riots seemed to stopped. It had caught their attention too. There were a massive group moving down the road. They were in a parade of some sort, as the man stated. Only one person stands out. She was short, and wore a black nun-dress. She was standing in a tall tower, overlooking everyone. When Jim came in for a closer look, it was no doubt that she is Victorique. Her green eyes gave her identity away to him. He wanted to surprise her, but her eyes were filled with torment. She had waited for too long, too long without someone to accompany, to be there for her.

"Victorique!" Jim waves his hand.

She was shocked, immediately turning to face toward the direction of the familiar voice. She smiled wholeheartedly, and it surprised him. Jim rarely saw her smiling, except the time when he was greeted by her sly smile. With his friends behind him for back ups, Jim walked toward Victorique until someone in the crowd stopped him.

"[Where do you think you're going? You're not getting near the Charming Monster.]"

Jim was in the middle of a crowd, fighting this man would lead to him and his mates versing five hundred people.

"I'll come back for you Victorique. We'll run away from this damned city."

"I'll be waiting! So you better not be late!" She yelled.

He could saw tears in her. Jim cannot do anything but to watch as she drifts away in the float. What's a Charming Monster? Why is she the Charming Monster? Is it that she's a Gray Wolf? Have these people no soul? Their ridiculous pink bunny headwear made Jim wanting to punch one of them, to assault them for hurting Victorique's feelings.

"Let's find a place to stay, and get some food." Jim told his friends.

"Great vacation so far." John smile sarcastically.

"Shut up. I didn't ask you all to joins me. Anyway, new plan, Operation Barbarossa, we're going to save Victorique."

"What's in it for us?" Jack put his hand on Jim's shoulder.

"My trust and friendship."

"Get outta here." He shoved him playfully.

They all walked away. Jim does not know where she'll be staying, but his best bet is to storm into the shopping center. Jim and his group came back to their drop ship to recover their equipments. Jim is happy to see Victorique again, knowing that she is still alive and well. But he's worry about where they're taking her and how they treat her.

"Got your stuffs?" Jim checks his groups.

"Yup." Jack talks for the whole group while the rest nod.

They all packed their equipments and head out. The cafeteria was intact but the other half aren't. There were bodies of students, and some adults. One particular body, as Jim saw through the glance of his eye, belongs to the lunch lady he met before. He kneel down by her side and closed her eyelids, to pay respect for the food she fed him. Luckily, there were still some soups for them. Its cold ,but the stove is working.

"This is some good soup, Jim. I've never had any of this back in the fleet." John slurped.

"I've had better. You should try the fried chickens they made. Absolutely heaven with ketchup." Jim responded.

They dined around the bodies of the dead. The foul smell did not bother them at all. Jim was the first to finish and brought the dish back into the broken sink, for he was taught manner by the IGA the hard way. On his way to the sink, he heard a faint breathing noise, not loud but enough to hear. Jim throws the rocks away from the source of the noise, to find a short-haired, blond girl. She was in pain for who knows how long.

"Hey, there's a girl still alive over here!" Jim shouted.

Jack, the group strongest man, was the right person for removing the heavy wooden roof covered in ceramic tiles.

"[Are you alright? Is your back hurt?]"

"My back…Ahh..." She moans in pain.

"Careful, Jack. We need a stretcher. Bring some first-aid kit!"

"Yo, John, clear the table. We'll lay her there." Jack commands.

"How the hell do you expect us to have a stretcher? How about this wooden board?" Maan suggested.

"Will do, put her in. It's a good thing she speaks English."

They carefully placed her on the board and moved into the table. With the advancement of technology, the first-aid kit was able to treat a minor back injury. Jim knows it won't heal her completely, but it will reduce her pains.

"Can you talk? Bring me some water and food." Jim asks.

"Yes…"

"Alright, good. There are wars going on, and they bombed a school. I've got nothing to say about them anymore. So, what's your name?"

"Avril Bradley…"

"I'm Jim Clarke. You'll be fine, but it won't be a while before you can get up and move around."

"Thank you…"

"It's nothing. Get some rest." He walks toward the group. "We need to head out fast. Who knows when they'll take her away?"

"Alright, what about her?" John looks at the girl.

"Bring her with us, I suppose. We'll find and put her in a hospital. She'll be safe there."

"Okay. Let's head out."

Jack and John carry the girl on the wooden board out into the campus. As they were arriving at the front gate, the sound of a roaring engine and talking caught their attention. Jim told them to lie the girl down next to the wall and take cover there. He peeks out to see soldiers marching on the street. A moment later, a group of soldiers leave the division and enter the Academy. Jim tried to fake death, but he was caught by the soldier. Before the soldier could point his gun at him, Jim made a dash toward him and held the soldier hostage with his knife. Many guns were pointed at his direction, but Jim did not worry a bit.

"Don't shoot!" Jim yells.

"Who are you?! What nations are you?!" A soldier replied.

"Uh...I'm with the Kingdom of Saubure!"

"An enemy of our allies!"

"Wait what? Who are you?"

"The United States."

"Oh, well, is this World War Two?"

"Yes it is, you bunny-head."

"I see, so since Saubure is the enemy of the U.S., then they're at war with the U.K. and France and the Allies."

"Who are you to not know what's going on in this world?"

"No one. I'm not your enemy for now. Trust me, you'll win the war. Although Russia is most likely to destroy Germany. Anyway, lower your gun and your cadet can go free. I'll lower mine too."

"We don't just go around and trust an enemy."

"There's a girl, a civilian. She's injured and need immediately medical attention. Show her, Jack."

Jack rose from his fake death position which surprised the soldiers. He slowly pulls the wooden board with the girl on top toward the soldiers.

"See? Let us go and you can take care of her."

"Not going to happen, bun. You're coming with us."

"Plan B, flashbangs out!" Jim covers his ears and closes his eyes.

A loud bang and intense light were heard and seen by the soldiers. The flashbangs were thrown in every direction at them, carefully aimed to stunt every single soldier. By the time it was over, they couldn't find Jim and his teammates anywhere. Running through the forest, he starts to get more and more anxious about Victorique.

"Damn, they almost got us! Haha." Jack lets out a laugh.

A couple of minutes later, they reached the city. Jim led the group in front of the city mall where the man had mention before. Luckily for them, it was dark, so the mission can be operated smoothly.

"So, loud and proud at the door? while you go rescue your lady friend?" Jack mocks him.

"Shut up. Just no killing while I'm saving her. Jack, you're the man. Distract them for like thirty minutes. John, you help him. Michael and Maan, follow me."

"Alright." John agrees.

Jack burst through the front door with his huge minigun loaded with blanks. He starts shooting at the ceiling, to intimidate anyone who's in the building. John follows afterward, while Jim's group sneaks in. There was a long staircase leading down to the basement. They ran down stair, to get to the door. Immediately, a group of soldiers were walking out, surrounding someone familiar.

"Victorique!" Jim calls out.

It has got her attention. The group of soldiers moved her back into the room.

"Get the charges ready. Don't make it lethal, we'll knock out the soldiers with our fists!"

"Got it, Jim." Maan pulls out an explosive device made to knock down any door. He switched the setting of the bomb to metallic door, to avoid too much power. The charge goes off, and Jim was the first to rushed inside. He threw a magazine from his gun at one of the soldier, striking a painful but not fatal headshot. Maan took care of the other two with his assault rifle filled with concussion-rounds.

"Victorique! Let's get out of here." He reaches out his hand.

"The U.S. are coming, hurry the hell up!" Jack screams.

Jim puts her on his back for faster movement since she can't run as fast as he can. By the time they reach the lobby, the U.S. soldiers were blocking their path to the outside.

"What's your plan now? Shoot them?" Jack suggests.

"Cover me. We'll steal that half-track over there." Jim points outside the window.

"Alright, let's go! Smokes out!" Jack threw a smoke grenade to cover their movement toward the window.

The soldiers died blindly into the smoked. Jack, being the heaviest armored Titan of the group, blocked all of the incoming bullets with his armor.

The soldiers heard screaming and shooting outside. As they approach their half-tracks, one of them is driving away. Their captain decided to call off the chase to recover their soldier and investigate on what had happened. Jim and his group drove along the road, out into the dirt for a long time.

"So, Victorique. Are you hurt?"

She doesn't answer and continues to stares over the mountains. Jim assumes that she is angry at him for taking too long since he learned about her personality over a course of a week.

"Well, I'll be staying here with you for five months. Anyway, where are we going to go next to enjoy a vacation? The Himalayas? Mount Everest? Paris?"

"Nowhere." Victorique answers. "Everywhere has been destroyed to rubbles. Marquis had led the world into war."

"I see. Marquis is just like Adolf Hitler."

"Doesn't look right to me. What are we going to do about it? Assassinate him?" Said Jack.

"Whatever, let's just find him and see what Victorique wants to do with him. I mean, we haven't been here long enough to know who's right. " Maan suggested.

The halftrack continues to move on down the dirt road, toward the capital of Saubure, Saubreme. It was a long two-hours drive to the capital. Fortunately for them, there weren't any military roadblocks or marching battalions. The first thing they saw at the capital was soldiers building barricades and pillboxes to defend themselves in the incoming attack. Jim realized that they were on an American vehicle, and so the soldiers began abandoning their posts and ran to alarm the others. Jim and his crews parked the vehicle near a small pillbox. The group hid behind a barricade, out of view from the confused soldiers.

"They seem to be carrying rifles. Sure you don't want to go Rambo, Jim?" Jack whispered.

"We've got a civilian. Let's just find someplace and stay in there for a while. Beside, the Humanity Protectorates will get our asses if we kill someone."

"Fine."

"go first and scout John. Let us know if you see anything interesting.

Stealthily, John maneuvers his way through the barbed wires and into the camp. There were camps right behind the one-foot thick concrete wall, and men walking around carrying wooden boxes, possibly are ammunition boxes. John surveyed the area until one particular person caught his attention. He was old, silvery-haired, upset-looking man whose height is above average. John left and came back to his group.

"I saw lots of camps and people walking around. Getting in might be tough. I think I saw the general also."

"What's he like?" Jim asks.

"Pretty abnormal to be a general in a white uniform. He's older than a World War Two vet, gray-white hair, and looks pretty angry."

"Could he be Marquis de Blois?" Victorique asked.

"Let's find out. What are you going to do to him?"

"Avenge my mother."

"Oh damn, I remember you talked to me about your mom." Jim added on.

"Yes, many things changed when you were gone."

"Well, I'm here, and I'll change it back to the way it was."

"So, we'll kill him? Are you sure? Remember the…"

"Yea I know. We need more information about what he's doing. How many deaths had he caused. Victorique?" Jim cuts off Jack.

"He has been conquering countries. Now that the United States are now in their soil, without me, Marquis won't win the war without the Russian help." She suggested.

"Well, I'm not taking any chances. Since we can't kill him, do you, Victorique, want to?"

"What?!...I…"

"Revenge for your mother. We can't lay a finger on him, but you can let a bullet through him." Jack looks at her through his dead serious eyes. "I know I haven't know you for that long, but I'll pull the trigger on the ones who killed my family."

She finally came to a conclusion after a while, to shoot Marquis straight through his heart. John leads the group inside the camp, to a hiding spot for observation. Men were still going about at their duties, and Marquis is no where to be found.

"Damn, he's gone. Should we kidnap one of them?" John asks.

"Yeah, we need information. Looks for a high ranked one."

"How about that one over there across the road to the right. Near the tents."

"Will do. Look at all those badges. I bet he's a general or something." Jim said.

John carefully moves across the wall to get in front of the general. He looks around the road, left and right, and there was no soldier to accompany the general. A truck moves down the road after it was filled with bricks and woods, waiting to be used to build a barricade. John swiftly uses the truck as cover to move across the street by attaching to its side as the truck passes by. He then moves onto the back and jumps into a tent,. Luckily, no one saw him or was inside the tent. He peeks out and moved behind the ammunition box. The general then went inside an alley of tents, a perfect opportunity for John to kidnap him. With his army knife, John lets the metal rest against the general neck, whispering,

"Where's Marquis de Blois?"

The general shocks, unexpected of John's presence, "He's...He's...He's inside the headquarter. Don't kill me please! I have two children and a wife!"

"I'm surprised you know English. Shouldn't have become a soldier if you're not ready to lose your dearest."

John knock the general in the back of his neck, making him unconscious. He slowly creeps back out into the road, in front of his group. John hand signals Jim to let him know that he have for the information and to let him know when it's safe to move across.

"Alright, the general told me that he's in the headquarter, what do?"

"Figuring how to get in there first. Have you checked the place?" Jim asks.

"No, but it's over there," John points his finger toward the huge, circular building. "I see a lot of guards though, how are we gonna get in?"

"Well, a diversion?" Jim looks at Jack.

"Marquis might run away. Why don't we infiltrate it first?" Michael suggests.

"And how are we going to infiltrate it?"

"I don't know. The roof?"

"Genius! We can all just climb and leave Victorique here."

"Okay, then we'll take out a couple of guards and disguise as them. We'll walk in while having Victorique as our hostage. That way, it will lure Marquis out, and she'll just shoot him."

"Sounds good. Are you up for it Victorique?" Jim looks at her.

Victorique nods sadly, which made him uncomfortable. Nonetheless, Jim still don't know why is he avenging her mother. Ignoring his confusion, Jim continues on. They went around the back of the building, where there are only a couple of soldiers. The soldiers didn't seem like a threat to them, but they're still being cautious when sneaking up toward the soldier. Skillfully, Jim and John knocks out both soldiers in their neck. They wore the uniform on top of their lightweight ballistic armor suit.

"Hey Jim, do you think their technology is advanced for this time around?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like Germany in World War Two. They had better equipments than the Allies, right?"

"Yea, I wonder if they have the Tiger. Those things had its time. Well, let's see if we can find anything interesting inside this building. Alright, you guys act as prisoners, we'll bring you in and make sure Victorique is not alone. Victorique, when you're there, I want you to shoot him. If fail, scream and I'll come to you."

"What if I can't do it?"

"Then...we'll get away from here. Far from here."

"I'll do it. I've got a couple hundreds left to bail myself out." Jack steps in.

"Are you sure? That's a lot for a commoner like this Marquis guy."

"Yea, I'll stay with her, and if she can't do it. I'll do it."

"Thanks, Jack."

Jim gave Victorique his pistol. A black, small, light but deadly weapon that is made for poisonous ammunitions to ensure the kill. The recoil is easy enough for anyone to shoot it, and the lightweight allows its user to shoot with better accuracy. They entered the building. Inside, there were pillars spread out across the palace, two grand staircases in the middle to the sides of the building, and a long red carpet on the floor leading upstair. Jim was fascinated by the architecture, until a voice came calling out Victorique's name.

"[Ahh! My pretty little charming monster. I see you've came back for me!]" An old voice coming from upstair.

"That's Marquis?" John whispered to Jim.

"Guess so, pay attention!"

"[It was a nice job that you two, Emilie and Ferdinand. Your actions will be rewarded.]" Marquis looks at John, and Jim.

"[Our pleasures, sir.]" Jim replies.

"[Now, it seems these other three are the ones who dare tries to kidnap her. I want them _]"

"[Kill them sir?]"

"[Of course! What else would I have to do with them?]"

"[Yes, sir!]" Jim signals John to take the three away.

Jim escorted Victorique into a little chamber, led by Marquis. The room is dark, has no windows, and smell of mechanic oil. With light from his lamp, Jim can see rusted iron boxes on a beat-up book shelf, and tools lying around on the floor. One thing stood out to Jim as it is covered with a dark navy sheet. Marquis stood next to it, grabbing a few cables and connected to a big generator. He turns around and took off the sheet, revealing a circular door.

"A time machine?" Jim whispers.

"[Looks here Victorique! My precious. This here is a portal that can teleport anyone anywhere. What do you say, we'll test it out first?]" He caress a strand of her hair.

"[Have you tested out yet? Sir.]" Jim asks.

"[I have no need for you anymore. Get out of my sight!]"

"Victorique?" Jim gave her a nudge.

She instantly pulls out the gun she got from Jim and hesitated. It gave enough time for Marquis to react and turns on the portal.

"Victorique!" Jim yells.

She pulled the trigger and missed. The powerful bullet struck the main control of the portal, causing it to go out of control. All metallic matters started to get suck into the unknown, including Jim with his armor. Victorique fires a second shot, hitting Marquis in his left thigh. Jim tries to grab onto a still object, but none were in his sight. Victorique drops her gun and ran to pull him back.

"No! Don't, we'll both get suck in!" He tries to stop her.

"Don't leave me, Jim!" She screams.

Jim was hopeless. He couldn't do anything to save the both of them. His friends arrived at the door, but it was too late. His last vision was of his friends running to get him and all went black.

**Author's note:** Sorry for the late upload. I was losing interest in the story, but then I decided to continue. I will upload more as possible. Thanks for reading. As for your information and minor spoiler, the crossover really starts now.


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